In 1963, The United States banned travel to Cuba; Harold Wilson became prime minister of the United Kingdom; Marin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from a Birmingham City Jail,” and gave his “I Have a Dream,” speech; Buddy Rogers became the first WWWF Champion; Coca Cola introduced its first diet drink, Tab; ZIP codes were… Continue reading Camelot ended: A look back at 1963
Tag: Ingmar Bergman
Three years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1973
In 1973, Richard Nixon was sworn in for a second term as President of the United States; George Foreman defeated Joe Frazier to become world heavyweight champion; The Vietnam War ended; Major League Baseball debuted the designated hitter; The Sears Tower became the world’s tallest building; Skylab launched; The Bahamas, Guinea-Bissau, and Papua New-Guinea became… Continue reading Three years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1973
Four years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1972
In 1972, Kurt Waldheim became Secretary General of the United Nations; President Nixon visited China and met with Mao Zedong; Pioneer 10 became the first man-made spacecraft to leave the solar system; Five White House operatives were arrested for breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee; On Bloody Friday, twenty-two bombs planted by… Continue reading Four years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1972
Camelot was just beginning: A look back at 1961
In 1961, The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba; John F Kennedy became the 35th President of the United States of America; Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, debuted; Adolf Eichmann’s trial took place in Jerusalem; Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Kuwait declared independence from the UK; Alan Shephard became the first American in space; Newton Minnow… Continue reading Camelot was just beginning: A look back at 1961
When America was a young 200: A look back at 1976
In 1976, The Philadelphia Flyers played a hockey game against the Red Army team of the Soviet Union; Apple Computer Company was formed; The Seychelles were granted independence from the United Kingdom; The United States celebrated its bicentennial; The Summer Olympics took place in Montreal; The “Son of Sam” terrorized New York City; Frank Sinatra brought Dean Martin onstage at… Continue reading When America was a young 200: A look back at 1976
The angry horse had a humorous face
Equus (1977) When 17-year old Alan Strang blinds six horses with a metal spike, psychiatrist Martin Dysart (Richard Burton) investigates at the request of a court magistrate. After a series of intense therapy sessions, Alan reveals he worships horses as the manifestation of the divine. When a girl took him to the stables to consummate… Continue reading The angry horse had a humorous face
A visit with the master
Bergman’s Island (2004) Few directors consistently speak to me as deeply as Ingmar Bergman. In this fascinating documentary, Marie Nyeröd visits the famed director at his home on the small Swedish island of Fårö to discuss his process, his most famous films, and his notorious relationships with women. This is the equivalent of an interview… Continue reading A visit with the master
Santa’s theory of the girl in a cage: A film by Bergman
La Cage aux Folles (1978) Renato owns a nightclub featuring his longtime lover, and accomplished drag performer, Albin. This creates complications when Laurent, Renato’s son from a previous relationship, brings his fiancée and her conservative parents home. After watching Robin Williams and Nathan Lane enthusiastically two-step their way through an energetic love affair alongside the perfectly cast Gene… Continue reading Santa’s theory of the girl in a cage: A film by Bergman
Best of the 1950s
Sunset Boulevard (1950) Faded silent screen star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) steadfastly believes she will regain her former glory and hires writer Joe Gillis (William Holden) to help with her planned comeback, but as the project drags on their relationship becomes dangerously complicated. William Holden brings a weary everyman quality to Joe Gillis while Gloria… Continue reading Best of the 1950s
Best of the 1960s
Testament of Orpheus (1960) In the final film installment of Jean Cocteau’s Orphic trilogy, he encounters characters from his previous films and appears before a tribunal to defend his life and art. Though not as well-known as later French filmmakers, Jean Luc Godard or Francois Truffaut, Cocteau’s films introduced avant-garde sensibilities and philosophical underpinnings into cinemas.… Continue reading Best of the 1960s